NASFAA Task Force Reports

NASFAA regularly convenestask forcescomprised of geographically diverse groups of NASFAA member volunteers from all types of postsecondary institutions and sectors to help review legislative and policy proposals and voice NASFAA's position on pending legislation.

Our task forces have addressed a wide range of issues within NASFAA's major policy areas, including (but not limited to):

Minimizing student indebtedness

Supporting need-based aid programs

Simplifying and improving consumer information, and

Providing recommendations for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act

At its inception, each task force outlines its guiding principles, members, and actionable goals in a charter specific to its unique task. At its conclusion, the task force summarizes its final recommendations in a report, subject to approval by NASFAA's Board of Directors, which is then disseminated widely to NASFAA members, lawmakers, administration officials, the press, and other public policy experts.

April, 2015 - The Benchmarking Task Force agreed NASFAA should expand its current benchmarking data by surveying the NASFAA membership to determine what areas members felt were important to benchmark. Based on survey input and discussion, the task force recommended that NASFAA restructure benchmarking, as well as redesign the distribution of the benchmarking survey. Access Report (NASFAA Members Only)

March, 2015 - NASFAA's Diversity and Inclusion Report emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusivity to NASFAA. Included in this report is a diversity statement developed by NASFAA's Professional Diversity Caucus and approved by NASFAA's Board in March of 2015. Download Report (PDF)

February, 2015 - The Servicing Issues Task Force was convened to deliver a report to the Department of Education and other relevant agencies with recommendations to improve federal student loan servicing, clearly indicating (1) areas of deficiency in loan servicing, (2) the extent (how widespread) of those deficiencies, and (3) proposed solutions. Based on the research and discussions, the task force developed six recommendations, divided into two broad areas of focus: Information and Communication, and Standardization. Download Report (PDF)

September, 2014 - NASFAA leadership asked the Access and Diversity Committee (ADC) to conduct research on the feasibility of the college ranking system known as the Postsecondary Institution Ratings System (PIRS) to determine if there are tools currently available to assist an institution with their own evaluation prior to the development and implementation of a Federal rating tool. This paper argues that a self­evaluation guide, developed by NASFAA and its members, could be a useful tool for campus administrators. Download Report (PDF)

June, 2014 - The Consumer Information Task Force was convened by the NASFAA Board of Directors to conduct a thorough review of the current student consumer information requirements and propose ways to streamline both the content and delivery of those requirements. Download Report (PDF)

June, 2014 - The primary purpose of the NASFAA Campus-Based Aid Allocation Task Force was to examine the formula by which congressional appropriations for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Perkins Loan programs are distributed to schools, and, in consultation with appropriate groups, develop proposals for changes to the allocation formula as part of the Association’s reauthorization recommendations.Download Report (PDF)

June, 2014 - The convened task force examined ways to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which allows qualifying borrowers to have their Direct Loans forgiven after 10 years of full-time service in an eligible public service job. The recommendations include establishing forgiveness limits to ensure that borrowers, especially those with high earning potential, have a reasonable expectation of repayment. Download Report (PDF)

July, 2013 - A task force of 17 NASFAA members forwarded to NASFAA’s Board of Directors an initial list of 61 recommendations for changes to the Higher Education Act via the upcoming reauthorization. In formulating the recommendations, the task force had held almost 40 listening sessions at conferences across the country. Member comments were analyzed and condensed into recommendations. In addition, recommendations from the prior (2003) reauthorization task force were revisited and, where necessary, updated. The Board accepted most of those recommendations, although it was requested that some be further developed. Download Report (PDF)

February, 2013 - In light of increasing concern about student loans, debt levels, and rising default rates, which coincide with worries about college costs, affordability, and transparency, NASFAA convened a task force in 2012 to study this issue and make recommendations for improvement. NASFAA’s Task Force on Student Indebtedness was charged with examining current trends and making recommendations aimed at improving the system for students and institutions throughout all stages of borrowing, including: pre-borrowing, in-school, and repayment. Download Report (PDF)

May, 2012 - NASFAA values the importance of clear, concise, accurate information for students and parents, and continually seeks to improve award letters. The Award Notification & Consumer Information Task Force was charged with examining best practices in award notification and consumer information and reporting back to the NASFAA Board of Directors with recommendations on how to improve or standardize elements of an award notification. Download Report (PDF)